US immigration agency removes “Nation of Immigrants” from mission statement

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People wave U.S. flags during a 2017 naturalization ceremony at the Los Angeles Convention Center. Photo: NPR
People wave U.S. flags during a 2017 naturalization ceremony at the Los Angeles Convention Center. Photo: NPR

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) on Thursday officially changed its mission statement by striking out the words “nation of immigrants” from it. The mission statement until this week read “USCIS secures America’s promise as a nation of immigrants by providing accurate and useful information to our customers, granting immigration and citizenship benefits, promoting an awareness and understanding of citizenship, and ensuring the integrity of our immigration system.”

The new mission statement now reads “U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services administers the nation’s lawful immigration system, safeguarding its integrity and promise by efficiently and fairly adjudicating requests for immigration benefits while protecting Americans, securing the homeland, and honoring our values.”

The news was first reported by The Intercept which obtained an email that USCIS Director L. Francis Cissna sent to staff in which he said of the changes “I believe this simple, straightforward statement clearly defines the agency’s role in our country’s lawful immigration system and the commitment we have to the American people.”

The changes come in the wake of president Trump’s heightened crackdown on illegal immigration and his tough rhetoric on immigration that includes curbs on legal immigration.

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